Issue 382 November 2015 50p Vote Chippy Race for ‘Best Market Town’ award A chance to vote for Chipping Norton in a national competition for Great British High Streets. Banners are up round town – and the campaign, led by Experience Chipping Norton working with the Town – is in full swing. Judges are visiting now. The Town has beaten more than 200 other entrants. It’s down to the last three and a public vote closes on 13 November. You can vote every day at chippy2win.com with the whole family using their different email addresses! And on social media, please pass the word around using the hashtag #Chippy2Win. A win would share £80,000 prize money to help local business and gain lots of positive publicity. The award celebrates towns with forward-looking businesses working with the community, welcoming new businesses and visitors and helping people locally and elsewhere. Lots more on page 5. Future of NHS Beds In this issue A disappointing turnout in St Mary’s Church on 21 WWI special Remembrance October heard the County present options for Chippy’s Feature ~ update on Horsefair ‘Intermediate Care’ NHS beds – to be staffed by the care dangers ~ ACE Centre threats ~ home or be closed. The Mayor and the local Hospital Views wanted on skateboard Action Group say that we are losing ‘proper community park ~ Mysteries at the Rollright hospital beds’ and the consultation (closing on 8 Stones and all local news December) was badly publicised and is rushed and Plus all the Arts, Schools, inadequate. More local meetings are planned. See page 2. Sports, Clubs and Letters LOCAL NEWS The future of our NHS Beds County present ‘consultation’ Quality issues and ‘flawed’ process Only a few dozen local people attended the key St Mary’s At the Church meeting Mayor Cllr Mike Tysoe, speaking also meeting about Chipping Norton’s NHS hospital beds. The for HAG, reinforced the view that the beds, although called formal consultation was organised by Intermediate, were originally promised Oxfordshire County Council, whose and specified as full ‘sub-acute’ meeting adverts were in the Banbury community hospital beds. But his Guardian and Oxford Times less than a week biggest concern was that OCC were earlier. The posters headed ‘Future of offering a fait accompli and that the Intermediate Care in North Oxfordshire’ consultation was rushed and flawed if a made no mention of ‘Chipping Norton’, decision were to be made before the ‘hospital’, ‘beds’ or even ‘NHS’. County results of a wider review of Officer John Jackson presented, backed by Community Hospitals (including Leader Ian Hudspeth and Cabinet Member Chipping Norton). Many contributions Judith Heathcoat. The senior NHS person in from the audience (including from two the room – David Smith, head of Significant signage? Above: Chipping Norton GPs and Revd James Kennedy, himself Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, War Memorial Community Hospital, a former NHS doctor) said the was not on the panel and said nothing. Our Below: OSJCT Intermediate Care Unit current level of service, involving 14 ‘Intermediate Care’ beds are currently Oxford Health and GPs, provided a staffed by nurses from Oxford Health NHS high level of medical intervention and Trust. The beds are not technically in the care, with good outcomes. But, it ‘War Memorial Community Hospital’ but in appears, from sources quoted at the a specially equipped adjoining building meeting, this may be seen as ‘over the maintained by the Orders of St John Care top’ against the specification that Trust who run the Care Centre next door. OCC are prepared to pay for. A key The County say this combined arrangement issue will be how service quality is is ‘expensive and complex.’ monitored if a change is made. Cllr Hilary Biles, Chippy’s County Bed options: OSJCT or nothing Councillor, has focused on this issue for many years and was Intermediate Care services are designed to help people stay involved in all the original agreements. She accused the panel, at home rather than go into hospital or get back home quickly including fellow Cabinet Members, of ‘talking rubbish’ and of after a stay in an acute hospital. The County has now defined saying she was wrong. ‘bed-based’ Intermediate Care as ‘short term care delivered in care homes’ – although Dept of Health guidance says IC More local meetings covers a whole range of care, including in community There are two more immediate local Chipping Norton public hospitals, for different medical and rehabilitation needs. The meetings planned about local NHS services: County presented only two options: first have the 14 bed North Oxfordshire Health Forum On 10 November at service provided entirely by staff, including nurse cover, from 7.30pm in Chipping Norton School. The Forum was OSJCT – apparently not a ‘change of service’ in spite of established two years ago as a local public input to the new dropping the NHS nurses; second, provide more care at NHS Commissioning Group. This meeting will look at the home, close the unit and, if needed, use beds further afield. impact of population changes on the Health Service and Proposals could save £700,000 per year, when health and discuss local services. The Forum intends to submit a formal social care budgets are big issues. OCC say ‘other viable response to the consultation on the NHS beds issues. options or suggestions will be considered’. Responses online The Hospital Action Group – On the NHS beds issues, via www.oxfordshire.gov.uk or write to FREEPOST RTRX- HAG are organising their own meeting on Thursday 3 GJUL-HXHY, County Hall, OX1 1ND December 7pm in St Mary’s Church, to be publicised widely, and they will be polling 12,000 local homes with a survey. They Will our needs be met? are also threatening a judicial review of the process. Local Councillors, Oxfordshire Healt hwatch, the Chipping Norton Hospital Action Group and local people have several concerns. First, many say the service has been, or is being, Vegtotable Greengrocer downgraded from ‘sub-acute’ medically-led care of the kind 4C Hitchman Mews, Off West Street, provided previously here and in all Oxfordshire’s Community Chipping Norton Hospitals. HAG suggest OSJCT cannot provide that higher level 01608 238829 of service. Second, this could leave the north of the County with Local Greengrocer selling good tasty in-season no local community hospital beds, nor potentially enough intermediate care beds. Third, with wider uncertainty over fruit & vegetables and eggs from local suppliers resources Healthwatch say Chipping Norton should be included who support local farmers. in a wider review of community hospitals and intermediate care Log baskets, logs & kindling to ensure the locality is being treated fairly rather than being Orders for Christmas now being taken presented with this very narrow choice in this ‘consultation’. 2 LOCAL NEWS support as we can and have had a brilliant response from the ACE Centre: ‘Hands off!’ local community. Every person I speak to tells their own Chippy campaigners have joined stories of how staff and facilities have helped and supported the County-wide furore to object them in different stages of their children’s development. After to County Council proposals to our recent public meeting we have gained momentum for our save £8m by cutting children’s campaign and we know that our voices must be heard. I would centre services. They would close encourage anyone who wants to back the campaign to like seven Early Intervention Hubs and our Facebook page (Save the ACE Centre), write letters of replace 44 current centres (one is concern, sign petitions, spread the word and do anything they can to protect this vital centre in our wonderful Town.’ in Chippy’s ACE Centre) with eight centres only, in the big towns. They would Meetings about County cuts stop ‘universal services’ The County also needs to make another £50m savings over such as ‘stay and play’ and four years (above the £300m cuts already planned). They are open access youth holding public meetings on all of this as follows: 7-8.30pm 27 sessions, unless local Oct (County Hall), 2 Nov (Banbury Town Hall) and 5 Nov volunteers were found to (Wallingford). Register to attend via www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ run them. The County talkingoxfordshire. Details are also available in the Library. have been accused of ‘savage and irresponsible Apple Day celebrations cuts’ ignoring long term effects on families, the NHS and public services. The County are conducting a two- month ‘consultation’ and protestors have been meeting across the County and in Chipping Norton. Two years ago similar threats saw Chippy protesters confront MP David Cameron in the Market Square – they could do so again. Chipping Norton District Councillor Laetisia Carter, who helped with the campaign two years ago, told the News , ‘Hands off! Every parent can need support making “universal” services essential. The ACE Centre is a lifeline for parents and carers. Here we can access childcare rated “outstanding” by Ofsted and get support from professionals on issues that can leave parents spiralling out of control, such as domestic There was plenty of fun, with violence, child/partner bereavement, postnatal depression, singing and some strange rituals – getting back to work, debt advice, etc.We all need to make and a good family turnout – at sure the County Councillors hear how essential the ACE Chippy’s Community Orchard on Children’s Centre is to our community here. We need to say Sunday 18 October. The central “enough” to cuts that discriminate against rural communities.’ point of the Day was to celebrate Parent Governor at the ACE Centre, Jodie Read, told the the apple crop and encourage next News , ‘The ACE Children’s Centre is such an important hub of year’s crop – by placing cider- support for our families and children.